Everyone’s been waiting for the return of the Ford Ranger. The fervor surrounding Ford’s midsize pickup redux is the sort you’d normally expect for a sports car like the GT, or the iconic Mustang. Truck fans have genuinely missed the Ranger.

The midsize pickup truck segment is experiencing a nice resurgence. General Motors launched new versions of the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon twins a few years ago, Toyota redesigned its Tacoma and Honda introduced its own take on the midsize truck, in the form of the unibody-but-still-pretty-capable Ridgeline. The old-but-trusty Nissan Frontier keeps on truckin’, too. The timing couldn’t be better for Ford to launch its reborn Ranger. And spoiler alert: It’s really good.

Two cabs, one engine

At launch, the 2019 Ford Ranger will be available in three trims: XL, XLT and Lariat. You can spec your Ranger in two-door SuperCab guise with a six-foot bet, or opt for the four-door SuperCrew style and get a five-foot bed. Rear- or four-wheel drive are offered, and there are four different appearance packages.

Every US-spec Ranger is powered by a 2.3-liter EcoBoost I4 engine, putting out 270 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. The Toyota Tacoma and Chevrolet Colorado (and its GMC Canyon twin) have more horsepower with their V6 engines, but the Ranger’s turbo engine offers healthier torque output, which is better for low-end grunt and fuel efficiency. If you want more torque in a midsize truck, you have to shell out for the diesel engine in the General Motors pickups.

A 10-speed automatic transmission gets that power to the pavement. No manual gearbox is available. This modern transmission is borrowed from the larger F-150 and the result is superior fuel economy. Two-wheel-drive Rangers are rated at 21 miles per gallon in the city, 26 mpg highway and 23 mpg combined, while adding four-wheel drive knocks those numbers down to 20, 24 and 22, respectively. Compare that 22-mpg 4WD combined rating to 20 mpg for a similarly equipped Tacoma, 19 mpg for a Colorado or 17 mpg for the old-as-dirt Nissan Frontier. The Ranger’s fuel economy is even slightly better than the unibody Honda Ridgeline, which can’t match the Ford’s off-road or towing capabilities.

The Ranger has a maximum payload of 1,860 pounds in four-door, two-wheel-drive spec — that’s 200 pounds more than the Tacoma. Heck, even the four-wheel-drive Ranger with the least amount of payload capacity (1,560 pounds) is only 14 pounds below the maximum hauling ability of the Chevy Colorado.

When it comes time to hook up a trailer, the Ranger will tow 7,500 pounds, regardless of drivetrain or cab configuration. Of course, that’s if you spec the optional tow package with brake controller — a $495 upgrade I’d happily include.

Drives like a truck

This test drive takes place in and around the greater San Diego area, starting with a long stretch of on-road driving before heading to some off-road proving grounds. The Ranger gets up to speed quickly and has more than enough mid-range punch to pass slower drivers on the highway. The solid axle in the rear means the Ranger isn’t the smoothest thing on four wheels — folks who like a “trucky” ride likely won’t mind. Aside from the unibody Ridgeline, though, the Ranger has a ride quality not unlike every other midsize pickup.

Once I hit some twisty backroads, the 10-speed automatic shows its refinement. You might think this thing would constantly be hunting for the right gear, but no, the Ranger’s transmission tuning is excellent, downshifting smoothly to eke out more power from the engine, upshifting to top gear when appropriate for maximum efficiency. The 10-speed will occasionally execute a harsh downshift under braking, but it’s a small weak spot in an otherwise flawless gearbox.

On these winding roads, the Ranger handles the various bends like you’d expect from a pickup. The body rolls a bit, and the softer suspension setup of my FX4 tester makes it a bit bouncy over pockmarked pavement. The steering has nice weight to its action, even if there isn’t a whole lot of communication through the wheel. Really, the Ranger feels as nice to drive — if not a little bit more mature — than its Chevy and Toyota competitors.

Off-roads like a pro

While most of the Ranger’s appearance packages are merely cosmetic upgrades, the FX4 off-road pack has some actual performance gains. Most importantly — especially for folks like me who tend to say “Watch this!” and go scrambling over some rocks — the FX4 offers full skid plate protection front and rear. An electronic rear differential locker is on the docket, as well. A terrain management system is included on FX4 models, with Normal, Grass/Gravel/Snow, Mud/Ruts and Sand drive settings. Finally, a trail control system is on hand to help with throttle control on tricky, slow-speed paths.

Opt for the FX4 package and you’ll get some legit off-road upgrades.

Ford

On the Ford-designed off-road course, the Ranger FX4 gets the job done with ease. First I’m scrambling around an off-camber turn, then I’m heading up a steep climb, the latter showing the full pulling power of the turbo engine’s 310 pound-feet of torque. The suspension easily soaks up the bumps through a rutted wash, and the Ranger maneuvers through a banked S-turn like a pro. Over staggered ruts, the Ranger flexes like a champ and keeps on going without pause.

The FX4 pack adds tires with beefier tread, but they’re only a tiny bit bigger than the standard tire — 31 inches, compared to 30.6. A larger tire would help off-road geometry considerably. As it stands, the Ranger has approach, breakover and departure angles of 28.7, 25.4 and 21.5 degrees, respectively, with 8.9 inches of ground clearance. That’s not bad, but the Tacoma TRD Pro’s 35.0-degree approach and 23.9-degree departure angles are much better.

Still, the Ranger handled this (again, Ford-designed) off-road course with aplomb. I’d love to take it out to the dunes to see how it negotiates soft sand, but my first impression is that the FX4 pack is great for folks who will do light to moderate off-roading. If you’re looking to the Ranger for dirty stuff, you’re probably better off buying a base model and upfitting it with aftermarket goodies. Or, you know, buy an F-150 Raptor. Ford makes a Ranger Raptor, but currently has no plans to bring it Stateside (despite my pleading).

Ford’s Sync 3 infotainment rocks, but the rest of the Ranger’s interior is average at best.

Ford

Bland interior, but lots of onboard tech

Inside, you’ll find a great suite of tech, starting with the Sync 3 infotainment system from other new Fords, housed in an eight-inch touchscreen on higher trim levels, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. The Ranger has a number of driver’s aids, too, with blind-spot monitoring that can see the length of the truck and a trailer, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection and lane-keeping assist. Adaptive cruise control is also available, but it disengages below 12 miles per hour, making it useless in stop-and-go traffic (where, incidentally, I want to use it most).

Overall, the Ranger’s cabin uses materials that are pretty average, at best. The overall design is pretty simple and straightforward, but some of the switchgear makes this truck feel like something from Ford’s past, not present. The front seats are super comfy, with optional heat, even with cloth upholstery. The Ranger trumps the Tacoma with rear legroom, boasting an extra two inches of get-comfy space, but back-seat passengers still might find themselves a bit cramped.

The Ranger has a towing capacity of 7,500 pounds, regardless of drivetrain or cab configuration.

Ford

An incredibly well-rounded pickup

2019 Ford Ranger pricing starts at $25,395, including $1,095 destination, for a 4×2 SuperCab XL. My tester, meanwhile — a SuperCrew 4×4 Lariat — comes in at $39,480. And that’s before you opt for the $1,295 FX4 pack.

The new Ford Ranger isn’t a perfect midsize pickup. The interior isn’t the best, the tailgate slams down when you open it, and there’s only one engine option. But even so, the Ranger excels with its great power, best-in-class towing and payload and stellar fuel economy to boot. Taken as a whole, the Ranger really feels like the most well-rounded midsize truck available today.

For those who’ve been waiting, you won’t be disappointed.

Editors’ note: Travel costs related to this feature were covered by the manufacturer. This is common in the auto industry, as it’s far more economical to ship journalists to cars than to ship cars to journalists. While Roadshow accepts multiday vehicle loans from manufacturers in order to provide scored editorial reviews, all scored vehicle reviews are completed on our turf and on our terms.

The judgments and opinions of Roadshow’s editorial team are our own and we do not accept paid editorial content.

After receiving a flogging from privacy critics, Facebook is scrambling to make its smart display video chat screen Portal more attractive to buyers. Today Facebook is announcing the addition of a web browser, plus some of Messenger’s Instant Games like Battleship, Draw Something, Sudoku and Words With Friends. ABC News and CNN are adding content to Portal, which now also has a manual zoom mode for its auto-zooming smart camera so you can zero in on a particular thing in view. Facebook has also added new augmented reality Story Time tales, seasonal AR masks, in-call music sharing through iHeartRadio beyond Spotify and Pandora that already offer it and nickname calling so you can say “Hey Portal, call Mom.”

But the question remains who’s buying? Facebook is already discounting the 10-inch-screen Portal and 15-inch Portal+. Formerly $100 off if you buy two, Facebook is still offering $50 off just one until Christmas Eve as part of a suspiciously long Black Friday Sale. That doesn’t signal this thing is flying off the shelves. We don’t have sales figures, but Portal has a 3.4 rating on Amazon, while Portal+ has a 3.6 — both trailing the 4.2 rating of Amazon’s own Echo Show’s 2. Users are griping about the lack of Amazon Video support for Ring doorbells, not receiving calls and, of course, the privacy implications.

Personally, I’ve found Portal+ to be competent in the five weeks since launch. The big screen is great as a smart photo frame and video calls look great. But Alexa and Facebook’s own voice assistant have a tough time dividing up functionality, and sometimes I can’t get either to play a specific song on Spotify, pause or change volume or other activities my Google Home has no trouble with. Facebook said it was hoping to add Google Assistant to Portal, but there’s no progress on that front yet.

The browser will be a welcome addition, and allow Facebook to sidestep some of the issues around its thin app platform. While it recently added a Smart TV version of YouTube, now users can access lots of services without those developers having to commit to building something for Portal given its uncertain future.

The hope seems to be that mainstream users who aren’t glued to the tech press where Facebook is constantly skewered might be drawn in by these device’s flashy screens and the admittedly impressive auto-zooming camera. But to overcome the brand tax levied by all of Facebook’s privacy scandals, Portal must be near perfect. Without the native apps for popular video providers like Netflix and Hulu, consistent voice recognition and more unique features missing from competing smart displays, the fear of Facebook’s surveillance may be outweighing people’s love for shiny new gadgets.

The three Gelfling will be voiced by Taron Egerton (Kingsman), Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch) and Nathalie Emmanuel (Game of Thrones). Other Gelfling characters will be voiced by Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones), Theo James (Divergent) and Helena Bonham Carter. Among the cast voicing the Skeksis and Mystics are Andy Samberg (SNL, Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Jason Isaacs, Mark Hamill, Keegan-Michael Key and Simon Pegg, among others.

“To match the stunning visual world of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, we knew we had to entice some incredible voice talent to add dimension to the exquisite artistry of the puppeteers who bring the characters to life,” Netflix VP of original series Cindy Holland said in a statement. “I am proud to say that this may be one of the finest casts assembled from the world’s favorite TV shows and movies, and I am now even more excited for fans to come back to Thra with us, and for new viewers to discover this world for the very first time.”

The series will use classic puppetry and “cutting edge visual effects” to reimagine Henson’s world and it’s set to debut next year. You can see the rest of the announced cast below.

Getting behind the wheel of this 2019 Subaru WRX is like reuniting with a good friend. This generation of the WRX, after all, launched in 2014 and has had only mild changes since. For the 2018 model year, Subaru restyled the car’s fascias, tweaked the suspension and fettled with its clutch and gearbox. For 2019, the only real changes are an upgraded infotainment system and the launch of the Series.Gray special-edition package seen on this test car.

Just like an old friend, the WRX has both its charms and its annoyances. Still a screamer on a backroad that’ll deliver big driving fun, it also still feels a smidge behind the times in terms of things like refinement, fuel efficiency and technology compared to its competition. That isn’t a reason to avoid the Subaru WRX, but rather a byproduct of its take-no-prisoners attitude to sportiness. And perhaps, above all, that’s part of the WRX’s charm.

High-performance fun

Series.Gray is the latest in a long line of special-edition packages from Subaru that focus more on aesthetics than actual performance. For $3,100, you get Cool Gray Khaki paint, which looks blue rather than gray; black, 18-inch wheels; blacked-out badges and mirrors; plus the addition of push-button start and LED fog lights. It’s a pretty sharp look, and given that Subaru will only sell 750 WRXs so equipped, fans will surely appreciate the package’s limited nature.

The package does not, however, bring any major mechanical tweaks. It’s based on the WRX’s existing Performance package, meaning the car does without a sunroof, to save a little weight, and adds upgraded Jurid brake pads behind the 18-inch wheels and Recaro bucket seats inside the cabin.

Not that tweaks are needed to the WRX’s performance. With its turbocharged, 2.0-liter, flat-four engine serving up 268 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, it furiously pulls through its gears. The notchy, mechanical feel of the six-speed manual and the aggressive clutch allow for swift work dispatching all that power. And, as is the WRX’s calling card, standard all-wheel drive means you can unleash the engine at any time.

Despite lots of lag and some low-end surging, the WRX’s turbo engine has plenty of punch.

Nick Miotke/Roadshow

That said, there’s a big difference in the engine’s on- and off-boast performance. Catch the engine unawares at low revs and it might stumble and hesitate for a bit. Then once the revs swing up and turbo kicks in, it does so with a big slingshot-like effect through the engine’s midrange. With peak horsepower arriving at 5,600 rpm and dropping off precipitously after, short-shifting the WRX below its 6,700-rpm redline is no big deal.

Quick steering with lots of driver feedback makes cornering exciting, too. The WRX’s suspension is stiff and firmly damped, so the car digs in eagerly when the road gets twisty. It’s pretty hard to upset the chassis, which keeps its poise no matter how rough the road or aggressive your inputs. And the optional Recaro seats do a reasonable job of holding me in place, without being too cumbersome to get in and out of. It all makes for a car that feels at its best when driven hard and thrashed through the gears.

The downsides

As to living with it everyday? Well, the Subaru WRX lacks the polish of some its best competitors. The suspension jars and bounces over the road, the engine drones at highway speeds and the cabin is overall quite loud — turn that radio up higher than you expect.

Black badges and this paint color help distinguish the Series.Gray models.

Nick Miotke/Roadshow

City driving is the WRX’s weakest point for two reasons. First, the on-off nature of the turbo engine makes for less-than-smooth progress and can sometimes leave you wanting for power if you’re not prompt on your downshifts. Moreover, even after the tweaks for the 2018 model year, the clutch take-up is grabby and the shifter relatively high-effort. Of course, we do allow for performance cars to be a little trickier to drive than everyday commuting machines, but the WRX is a little rougher around the edges than, say, a Volkswagen Golf R, to say nothing of FWD rivals like the Ford Focus ST and VW GTI.

Its fuel economy is lacking, too, considering its power outputs. Rated for 21 miles per gallon city and 27 mpg highway, the WRX is a little thirstier than the similarly powerful and also AWD-equipped VW Golf R (21/29 mpg with a manual transmission). Unsurprisingly, it also drinks far more than FWD competitors. Again, for enthusiast drivers, this might not be a make-or-break data point in the decision to buy the Subie.

Despite the fuel-economy penalty, it’s worth remembering AWD is a big selling point for the WRX. Stick some appropriate rubber on the Subaru and you can keep enjoying the car’s performance all winter long. It’s no wonder the WRX is so popular in the Snowbelt. (My own internet search history often features “subaru wrx used” around this time of year.)

The WRX still has the interior design from the last-generation Impreza, not the newest model.

Nick Miotke/Roadshow

Functional, rather than gorgeous, interior

The inside of the Subaru WRX immediately reminds that there was a schism between the regular Impreza and the WRX; where the former is now on a new platform with a vastly improved cabin design, the WRX is still based on the old Impreza. That means that, despite lots of glossy carbon-fiber bits, red accent trim and the aforementioned Recaros, the interior does feature a lot of hard and coarsely grained plastics.

Visibility is outstanding in every direction, with a low belt line, thin pillars and big window glass almost negating the need for blind-spot monitoring. The instrument cluster is no-nonsense, with big analog speedometer and tachometer dials, plus a digital speed readout. There’s a small configurable trip computer in the cluster, as well as a larger, more detailed display atop the dash that can show everything from turbo boost to fuel economy.

A relatively large car for its class (it’s over a foot longer than a Volkswagen Golf R, for instance), the WRX offers plentiful backseat head- and legroom. A generously sized trunk swallows 12 cubic feet of luggage, which is good, though less than the trunk of a Honda Civic Si sedan.

The infotainment system has bright and clear menus, with support for both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Nick Miotke/Roadshow

The standard 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system works well enough, though it has relatively slow responses to inputs on the display. Support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is built-in, as is SiriusXM satellite radio, a CD player and even integration for Aha and Pandora internet radio. Higher trim levels of the WRX can be equipped with a 7-inch touchscreen with navigation.

Active-safety features are unfortunately in short supply. Only models with the WRX’s optional continuously variable transmission can be equipped with EyeSight, Subaru’s package that provides precollision braking, adaptive cruise and lane-keeping assist functions. And blind-spot monitoring is offered only as an option on the pricey Limited trim level. That means that my Series.Gray tester has only the federally required back-up camera and no other safety tech.

How I’d spec it

My 2019 Subaru WRX would be the Performance model, primarily because I like the Recaro seats and — don’t judge — the red-painted brake calipers. Doing without a sunroof is a bit of a shame, but I’ll tell myself that I can notice the reduced curb weight and lower center of gravity on the road. That would set me back $32,430, or a little less than my test car’s sticker of $33,480. Pricing for the 2019 car remains reasonably affordable overall, running from $28,080 (with destination) for the base manual-transmission model to $34,580 for the CVT-equipped WRX Limited.

No matter the configuration, the Subaru WRX is an absolute riot that’ll have you searching out excuses to go for a drive. While it’s not the most polished or grown-up car in its category or price range, its rawness, speed and rally-car heritage continue to make the WRX a beloved and cherished choice for anyone who likes affordable performance cars.

Researchers at the University of Zurich and EPFL have created a robot that shrinks to fit through gaps, a feature that could make it perfect for search and rescue missions. The researchers initially created a drone that could assess man-made gaps and squeeze through in seconds using only one camera. This extra feature — a scissor-like system to shrink the drone in flight — makes it even more versatile and allows these drones to react to larger or smaller gaps in nature.

“The idea came up after we worked on quadrotor flight through narrow gaps,” said PhD candidate Davide Falanga. “The goal of our lab is to develop drones which can be in the future used in the aftermath of a disaster, as for example an earthquake, in order to enter building through small cracks or apertures in a collapsed building to look for survivors. Our previous approach required a very aggressive maneuver, therefore we looked into alternative solutions to accomplish a task as passing through a very narrow gap without having to fly at high speed. The solution we came up with is the foldable drone, a quadrotor which can change its shape to adapt to the task.”

The system measures the gap and changes its shape without outside processing, a feat that is quite exciting. All of the processing is done on board and it could be turned into an autonomous system if necessary. The team built the drone with off the shelf and 3D-printed parts.

“The main difference between conventional drones and our foldable drone is in the way the arms are connected to the body: each arm is connected through a servo motor, which can change the relative position between the main body and the arm. This allows the robot to literally fold the arms around the body, which means that potentially any morphology can be obtained. An adaptive controller is aware of the drone’s morphology and adapts to it in order to guarantee stable flight at all times, independently of the configuration,” said Falanga.

That’s much, much bigger than the Powerpack, which has a length and width measuring 51.5″ x 32.4″ and has an energy capacity of 210 kWh. The illustrations in the documents show that Tesla plans to install two container-sized Megapack units back-to-back. It also plans to deploy 449 Megapacks with a total capacity of 1,200 MWh at the PG&E site in California.

The energy company apparently wants to switch the site on by 2020, so Tesla might start installing units soon.

I just refereed another hard-fought bout in CNET’s TV lab, comparing those three LCDs against the cheapest 2018 OLED TV, the LG B8. The short story? The champ retains its belt, but it didn’t win by a knockout this time. The runner-up Q9 lasted the whole fight and vanquished the other LCDs (and in case you didn’t know, QLED is a version of LCD).

Although it’s Samsung’s best TV that costs less than $15,000, the Q9 is still really expensive. The 65-inch model has never fallen below $3,000, which is a few hundred more than LG’s 2018 OLED TVs. You read that right: This TV costs more than an OLED, and doesn’t perform as well.

Samsung has done some great things with its LCD tech, such as reducing blooming while simultaneously increasing brightness, dealing with reflections in bright rooms and even improving off-angle image quality. But it can’t beat OLED’s contrast, the main building block of a good picture.

There are still a few reasons for high-end shoppers to consider the Q9, however, starting with the 75-inch size. If you want a TV that big and have a huge budget, the Samsung Q9 is the best choice. Its image quality surpasses both the more expensive Sony Z9F and the much, much cheaper Vizio P-Series (non-Quantum), my picture-for-the-dollar pick at 75 inches. On the other hand, if your budget is indeed that huge, maybe it can be stretched another couple grand for a $7,000 77-inch OLED.

Then there are all the non-picture-quality reasons to choose the Q9 over the others. I’m talking about unique styling and design touches like Ambient mode, optional designer stands and flush wall mounts and a separate One Connect box with hidden wiring system. Features like universal remote control of connected devices, sweet gaming extras and the best smart TV system not made by Roku. Immunity to OLED burn-in, if that worries you. And yes, the cachet of an expensive Samsung in your living room.

If that’s enough for you, maybe the Q9 is worth the price after all. If not, get an OLED or the best cheaper OLED alternative at 65 inches, Vizio’s P-Series Quantum.

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Future-modernist TV design when on or off

Samsung makes some of the nicest-looking TVs around, and as you’d expect from the company’s best (non-8K) 2018 TV, the Q9 pulls no design punches.

OK, maybe one: the thinness punch. The Q9 is noticeably thicker than razo-slim OLEDs or even many LCDs sets like Samsung’s own Q7. That’s because the Q9 uses a full-array LED backlight, a worthy trade-off for a chunkier profile in my book.

From straight on, the set is all screen: sleekness incarnate. The image is bordered by a superthin border, angled like a picture frame toward the watcher, that’s the same width on all sides. The only other forward-facing feature, the Samsung logo on the bottom-middle, is tiny and as unobtrusive as any.

The silver remote is dead simple, easy to hold and reliant on as few buttons as possible. Most of the action happens onscreen, or, if you’re feeling adventurous, via Bixby voice control. A dedicated key brings up menus like a numeric keypad and other context-sensitive options, for example for device control.

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The stand consists of a matte-black rectangle, rounded on the front. It’s low-slung, keeping the space between the bottom of the panel to the tabletop as short as possible. Compared with the wide-splayed, double-leg stands used on most TVs today, it looks nicer and its narrower spread requires less base space. And speaking of nicer looks, the 65-inch Q9 is also compatible with the optional studio stand ($600) or gravity stand ($700).

Speaking of expensive options, the Q9 is also compatible with Samsung’s no-gap wall mount ($150 to $180) which keeps the TV more flush to the wall than third-party mounts. It works fine with those, however, and they generally cost a lot less.

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Ambient mode is a new feature, exclusive to Samsung’s QLED TVs, that fills the TV screen when you’re not watching TV. The idea is that instead of a big black rectangle in the middle of the living room, you get… something else. It’s pretty cool, especially if you hate that black rectangle, but its signature feature — the ability to match your wall — was hit or miss when I tested it on the Q8. I didn’t retest it here, so check out the Samsung Q8 review for more details if you’re curious how it works.

Hide the wires, control the gear, skip the Bixby

If you’re obsessed with hiding wires and equipment, the Q9 is your jam. All of the connections — including power — are housed in a chunky, separate box Samsung dubs the One Connect. You plug your HDMI gear, such as a cable box, game console or streaming device, into the box and not into the TV itself. This setup allows you to easily hide all those boxes somewhere in a cabinet.

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The only wire you need to connect to the TV itself is the proprietary Invisible Connection. It’s a fiber-optic strand that runs — via a clever channel across the back of the TV and even through the stand legs — to the box. The cable is thin enough to run across a wall, down a corner or along a baseboard without exciting much notice, allowing you to avoid costly in-wall cable runs.

It’s different from (and incompatible with) the 2017 version because it carries power too, and as a result the strand is slightly thicker. The included cable is 15 feet long and you can spring for the 50-foot model ($300) if that’s not enough.

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Like previous Samsung TVs the Q9 can also control connected gear, which it detects automatically as soon as you plug it in. The One Connect box even has built-in infrared emitters so it can command gear inside a cabinet. In the past I’ve liked this feature, but still prefer a dedicated universal remote like a Harmony. I didn’t retest it this time around, so check out the 2017 Q7 review for more details.

I also skipped extensive testing of Samsung’s Smart TV system, including Bixby voice control via the remote, for this review. In my test of the Q8 from earlier this year Bixby was disappointing, falling well short of the Google Assistant voice controls built into LG and Sony TVs. I like Samsung’s onscreen Smart TV system better than those two brands’ however, and consider it second-best overall, after Roku TV. Again, my Q8 review has more info.

The queen of QLED

Key TV features

Display technology

LED LCD

LED backlight

Full array with local dimming

Resolution

4K

HDR compatibility

HDR10 and HDR10+

Screen shape

Flat

Smart TV

Tizen

Remote

Standard

Among Samsung’s 2018 TVs only the Q8, the Q9 and the 8K Q900 have full-array local dimming. This technology, which improves LCD image quality significantly in our experience, boosts black levels and contrast by making certain areas of the picture dimmer or brighter in reaction to what’s on screen. The main image quality difference between the Q8 and Q9 is more dimming zones and a brighter image on the Q9, but the company doesn’t say exactly how many zones each TV has. Meanwhile the Q900 8K TV — call it the king of the QLEDs — is brighter still.

Like the Q9 and other Samsung QLED TVs, its LCD panel is also augmented by a layer of quantum dots — microscopic nanocrystals that glow a specific wavelength (i.e. color) when given energy. The effect is better brightness and color compared with non-QD-equipped TVs, according to Samsung. The Q9 uses a true 120Hz panel, which improves the TVs’ motion performance, but as usual the “Motion Rate 240” specification is made up.

The set supports high dynamic range (HDR) content in the standard HDR10 and the HDR10+ formats only. It lacks the Dolby Vision HDR support found on most competitors’ HDR TVs. I’ve seen no evidence that one HDR format is inherently “better” than the other, so I definitely don’t consider lack of Dolby Vision a deal-breaker on this TV. Check out the picture quality section for more.

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2018 Samsung sets are arguably the best-equipped TVs for gamers. The Q9 is compatible with variable refresh rates, called FreeSync, from some devices, currently including select PCs and the Xbox One X and One S. It doesn’t have full HDMI 2.1 (no 2018 TV does), so it allows rates up to 120Hz or resolutions up to 4K — but not both at once. According to Samsung the supported resolutions are 1080p at 120Hz, 2,560×1,440p at 120Hz and 3,840×2,160 (4K) at 60Hz, and all can support HDR games too. I didn’t test it for this review.

To use FreeSync you’ll have to turn on the Auto Game Mode feature, also new for 2018. In addition to enabling VRR, the feature lets the TV automatically switch to game mode — reducing input lag — when it detects you’re playing a game. This year game mode also adds motion-smoothing capabilities, called Game Motion Plus, although they do add a bit of lag (see below for details).

Amazon recently said Apple Music would find its way onto Amazon Echo devices sometime soon — and sure enough, it appears to be rolling out now.

To make Alexa work with Apple’s streaming service, you should just have to jump into the newly updated iOS/Android Alexa app and link up your account. You can find the option under Settings > Music.

Once done, commands like “Alexa, play music by Halsey on Apple Music” should work. Or, if you don’t want to have to say the “… on Apple Music” bit every time, you can just set Apple Music as the default service. If you don’t have a specific artist in mind, you an also request playlists or genres.

One catch: as 9to5mac points out, it appears this currently only works with Amazon Echo speakers, and not yet with third-party speakers (like the Sonos ONE or Polk’s Audio Command sounder) that happen to have Alexa-support built in.

Not a fan of Apple’s offering? Alexa also works with Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, Deezer and Amazon’s own Music service.

Using Google devices, rather than Amazon’s? Alas, still no word on if/when proper Apple Music support might come to Google Home.

First off, it’s great to see the show is actually going to continue. There were unsubstantiated rumors awhile back that pegged the show for cancellation after the third season. Those were obviously off-base, and now we’re going to get a show that exclusively consists of the most widely popular segment. Clarkson reportedly justified the switchover with this statement after wrapping up filming for season three: “There are only so many times you can watch a BMW go round the track … it’s the end of an era.”

As of now we know a fourth season is on its way, and it’s bound to be just as extravagant as the last one, as Clarkson declared that “Marvel will be jealous of our budgets.” Amazon reportedly spent as much as $5 million per episode for the past couple seasons, so we imagine that will continue. In addition to the presenters coming back, producer Andy Wilman is signed on for the future as well. Look out for the first episode of season three on Jan. 18, which will still feature the tent and current format. You can watch the trailer for this coming season here for a preview of what’s to come.

A signature design piece of past premium Yoga models since 2014 was the watchband-style 360-degree hinge that helped reduce the thickness of the convertible laptop. That hinge has been replaced with a 360-degree sound bar hinge that is eminently more useful than a slightly thinner body (and it still looks cool). There are a couple of other extras that improve usability and performance remains impressive for its size. It is, perhaps, the best ultraportable two-in-one at the moment. But it ain’t cheap.

That hinge tho

It’s pretty rare to come across a laptop with speakers that are actually worth using, especially a laptop as thin as the Yoga C930. As a two-in-one, the C930 has a 360-degree hinge that makes it possible to turn it from a laptop into a tablet. Adding more function to the form, Lenovo worked with Dolby to turn that hinge into a rotating sound bar.

The hinge speakers are paired with another set of downward-firing speakers at the front edge of the keyboard to bolster the overall sound. This also means that regardless of the position you’re using the screen in, you get clear audio. However, they do sound a bit thin until you apply some Dolby Atmos magic to them.

A preinstalled Dolby Atmos app lets you quickly tune the audio for whatever you’re listening to — music, movie, game, voice — or you can set up three personal profiles or set it to Dynamic and let the software do the guesswork. Turning on Atmos adds the punch most laptops this size are missing. You’ll still want good headphones or external speakers for thumping bass, but for general listening to music or watching videos, this setup works really well.

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A pen with parking

Lenovo added active pen support to the Yoga 920, but most configurations didn’t include a pen. If you did get a pen, Lenovo included a clunky, better-than-nothing holder that fit into the sole USB-A port on the laptop and, when stowed, the pen would block the power button.

The Yoga C930, like the company’s high-end ThinkPad X1 Yoga, not only comes with an active pen, but has a garage in the back right edge of the body. The pen has 4,096 points of pressure sensitivity with little to no discernible lag. It charges in its garage and it’s always paired and ready to be used.

The pen is comfortable for its size, but it is short and slender. Using it for extended periods might cause your hand to cramp (at least that’s what happened to me), but having a pen handy, charged and ready outweighs the small size. If you plan to use it for more than just quick sketches or jotting notes, you might want to invest in one of Lenovo’s full-size pens.

Privacy matters

I use my laptop’s web cam once or twice a month. The rest of the time I keep a small sticker over it to block it. That’s not so much to protect me from hackers, but from accidentally seeing myself on my screen under bad florescent lighting. However, if privacy is a concern for you, Lenovo’s trickled down another key feature from its X1 Yoga: A privacy shutter.